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Sweet Potato Virus? #803500

Asked July 28, 2022, 1:45 PM EDT

Hello, I think one of my sweet potato plants may the virus. See photo below. Several of the new leaves are curled and/or deformed and those vines aren't growing as much as the unaffected vines. If this is the virus, should I destroy the plant immediately ? Are any tubes harvested from that plant edible or harmful to eat? Does the virus get into the soil? Any other info you can provide? Also, can you identify the cause of brown spots on the leaves of one of my tomato plants? See photo. Thank you so much!

Kent County Michigan

Expert Response

Hi Anne, thanks for the question.

This could be a virus. Sweet potatoes have about 20 known viruses.  One is the "sweet potato leaf curl virus" that rolls leaf edges upward. It is vectored by the sweet potato white fly and is not soil borne.  Another thought is herbicide overspray or drift. Drift from vaporization of some herbicides can travel as far as a mile. Sweet potatoes are sensitive to some herbicides.  In both cases produce probably should not be eaten and plants removed and not composted.

Herbicide Drift and Drift Related Damage (psu.edu)

From the picture it is unclear what type of leaf spotting disease you are seeingt. Check out the following link:

Tomato leaf spot diseases | UMN Extension

I hope this helps.

An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 31, 2022, 10:41 PM EDT

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